RIA 1911

JCSC

JCSC

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Joined
Jul 24, 2019
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Location
Columbia SC
I bought two rock 45’s for my wife and I to play with. She wants hers cerakote in pink glitter……,

she already has a purple 9 and robins egg blue 380.

that was off topic, but I shot 50 thru mine tonight. That’s a way more accurate gun than the Glock 43 I carry. At 7 yards I just punched a hole about the size of a golfball.

I was very impressed.

This was an attempt to learn the 1911 platform and I plan to do trigger and hammer upgrades.

375$ for the palmetto state armory valentine special.

I’m not complaining one bit. I just ran 50 rounds thru the gun and it didn’t miss a beat.
 
JCSC said:
That’s a way more accurate gun than the Glock 43 I carry.

This was an attempt to learn the 1911 platform and I plan to do trigger and hammer upgrades.
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The first thing the Glock owner needs to realize with their first 1911 is there are no drop in parts on a 1911.

As long as you understand that, and pay attention to what your are doing, you'll be fine.
 
Everything I read says this GI model is compatible with most everything. Aside from the normal fitting practices.
 
JCSC said:
Everything I read says this GI model is compatible with most everything. Aside from the normal fitting practices.
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Nearly all Glock's have the same sight dovetails, and all the parts snap in and snap out of a Glock.

Colt has at least three different dovetails on their 1911's, and they are just one maker. RIA dovetails will be different still. Not all grip safeties are beavertails, and not all grip safeties fit on all 1911 frames, without modification.

As long as folks go in to their modifications understanding this, they should be alright. The problem is, most don't.
 
Thanks JTQ. I did read that RIA has a different dovetail on the rear. Haven investigated how the front sight is attached yet.
 
It is staked. Can that be replaced? Frankly I liked to low pro sights, but looking at options.
 
JTQ - you seem well versed in the 1911. What’s the best order for upgrades?

the older gentlemen at PSA to me to run the gun dry and put a few hundred rounds thur to break it and then teardown, clean and line everything.

the RIA trigger is better than my ghost trigger out of the box.

I like the look of the three hole trigger and skeletonized hammer. Not sure what if any those do for performance.
 
If it is the GI gun, you probably have the GI rear dovetail, that doesn't offer many low profile sights.

This gun? https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fspgi-standard-fs-45acp-8rd

For instance, this model https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fs-tacrock-standard-fs-45acp-8rd will have "sort of" Novak sights and would give you more options than the GI model above. The rear dovetails are different between the two and sight for one won't fit the other.

On the good side, if you want genuine Novak sights https://www.novaksights.com/ you can mail your slide to Novak and they will cut genuine Novak dovetails for you, front and back, and install your Novak sight of choice.
 
That’s what I have.
 

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JCSC said:
the older gentlemen at PSA to me to run the gun dry and put a few hundred rounds thur to break it and then teardown, clean and line everything.
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You can go a whole lot of rounds between cleaning, but you need to use a whole lot more lube than the Glock "six drops of lube".

Here are three useful 1911 lube videos. All three use different products and are a little different. Take from each what you like.

Dave Anderson uses grease, I don't use grease, just oil, but his tip at the end for lubing without field stripping is something to pay attention to.



Hickok45 uses Ballistol, a CLP, to clean and lube. I also prefer CLP's.



Wilson Combat shows their own product, Ultima Lube II oil, it is a good product, but where, and how much are the things to pay attention to.

 
You have the GI guns. They are very popular, and have an excellent reputation. However, the GI sights and GI grip safety are often limiting factors for that model.
 
JCSC said:
... and skeletonized hammer.
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For a "Commander" style hammer, in most cases, you either need to modify your current grip safety, or replace it with a beavertail grip safety, and most beavertail grip safeties will require you to modify the frame of your gun to fit.

The recommendation I always give to the new 1911 shopper, decide what sights you want/need and whether you want/need a beavertail grip safety. Choose wrong on either, and you're going to have file/grind/weld on your gun to correct your error.

It's usually just easier to start from the beginning with the sights and grip safety you want rather than trying to change it yourself (or have a pro fix it for you).

This model https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fs-tacrock-standard-fs-45acp-8rd that I listed above, while a little more expensive than the GI model you have, will give you better sights (and more useful dovetails) and a beavertail grip safety. If you need those things, starting with that gun is money/time saver. If you don't need better sights or you like the GI grip safety, the GI gun is a perfectly serviceable firearm.
 
I bought this RIA GI model for $379 including the gift certificate at Attwoods some time back. It shot perfect when I got it and still does now that it is modded a little bit:

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My main purpose for purchasing it was to learn the workings of the 1911 without screwing up my two Kimbers. Now I like the RIA better, well, maybe not but it is my favorite to shoot.
 
Don’t crucify me but this will be the end result on hers. With glitter added.

this will be my first cerakote glitter job, so we will see how it comes out.

happy wife happy life.
 

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3Crows said:
I bought this RIA GI model for $379 including the gift certificate at Attwoods some time back. It shot perfect when I got it and still does now that it is modded a little bit:

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My main purpose for purchasing it was to learn the workings of the 1911 without screwing up my two Kimbers. Now I like the RIA better, well, maybe not but it is my favorite to shoot.
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That’s the trigger I want.
 
Here's what I did:

1) Purchase a GI Model to learn about the platform and see if I like it (I did).

2) Sell or trade the GI Model for a slight loss

3) Purchase other 1911's that had the features I realized I wanted (improved sights and beavertail).

That's the easiest and least expensive way to handle it.
 
I have not priced the different RIA 199 models lately so don't know the exact price differences. Back in 2007 when I bought my first RIA 1911 the Tactical model with better sights and beavertail was only $50 more than the GI model. And even if the difference in price has gone up to $100 or $150, it is still worth spending the extra to get the features you want from the factory.

The last RIA 1911 I bought (2020) was a GI model in 9mm since that was all I could find available outside of 45ACP. I really wanted a 38 Super but settled for the 9mm then bought a 38 Super barrel later.
 
I’m a little lost on the difference between my grip safety and a beaver tail safety. Need to do a little reading.

I’m a machinist by trade, so not concerned with requirement for fitting.
 
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